Tag Archives: states

Post navigation

This is easily one of the most commonly asked questions we get. Each state has different rules and regulations when it comes to income tax. Most have both, some don’t collect personal income tax, and a few don’t college corporate income tax. And to a new business owner forming a corporation, forming in a state without a corporate income tax might sound awesome! After all, who likes paying taxes?

Unfortunately, things aren’t that cut and dry, and there are good reasons why so many business owners opt to stay in the state that they do business.

Share this:

It’s the last week of our 50 states of incorporation series and we’re focusing on the Cowboy State – Wyoming. Smack dab in the middle of the Rockies, Wyoming is America’s least populous state, but is easily one of the most beautiful. The vast majority of the land in Wyoming is owned and protected by the Federal Government, and Wyoming is home to the world’s first national park, Yellowstone. Wyoming’s natural beauty has ensured the state’s tourism industry would flourish, and today it generates two billion dollars in state revenue. Along with tourism, Wyoming’s historic agricultural and mining industries continue to drive the state’s economy – Wyoming is the number one producer of coal in the country. Though largely rural, Wyoming is a great state for a small business, thanks largely to the low cost of doing business. So what does it take to get started there? And how do you incorporate in Wyoming?

Share this:

Known as the Badger State and also as America’s Dairyland, we’ll try to lay off the cheesy jokes this week as we explore how to incorporate in Wisconsin. (Aaaand we’re already off to a punny start!)

With companies like Sargento, Carmex, and Oshkosh B’Gosh calling the state home to their branding headquarters, Wisconsin ranks at #41 on the Forbes best states for business list and is noted for its manufacturing, healthcare and agricultural industries. As far as its namesake for dairy goes, Wisconsin is noted for producing a quarter of the nation’s cheese, making it number one in the United States for cheese production and second for milk and butter production.

Share this:

Famous for white water rafting, coal mines, and the Appalachian National Scenic Recreational Trail, we’re taking a closer look at how to incorporate in West Virginia today, and all the great benefits it has to offer small business!

Home to West Virginia University, the 95th best public university in the country, and to Morgantown, a city ranked by Forbes as #10 for being one of the best small cities in the country to conduct business in (ranking from 2010), West Virginia also has a corporate income tax rate of 7%, which has been scheduled to be reduced to 6.5% in 2014.

If you’re a west Virginia resident, there’s a good chance you’re involved in the coal business. In terms of coal-producing, West Virginia is ranked the second biggest coal-producing state in the U.S. (first place goes to Wyoming). So if you want to start a business in the coal industry, West Virginia could be the perfect place for you and your business.

Share this:

Virginia – the mother of all states. Home to the first English colony in the New World, and the birthplace of more U.S. presidents than any other state, the Commonwealth is easily one of the most storied and important states in America. Virginia continues to be one of the nation’s top producers of tobacco – a crop it has grown since the colonial era – and has one of the most diverse economies of any state. Ranching, farming, tourism, high-tech manufacturing, and government agencies contribute to the bustling and thriving Virginian economy. An educated workforce and pro-business government has also placed Virginia at the top of Forbes’ ‘Best States to do Business In’ list for the past four years. Virginia is an obvious choice for any budding entrepreneur. How do you start a business in the state? And what does it take to form an LLC or incorporate in Virginia?

How do you start a business in Virginia?
It’s actually quite easy! All you need is a ‘Doing Business As’ name, the right licenses and permits, and, if you want to hire someone, a federal tax ID number, often called an Employer Identification Number. Virginia has a handy tool to help new business owners register their business and its name online. Once you are all registered, you can technically open for business as a sole-proprietorship. However, while sole-proprietorships are easy to run, they make you, as the business owner, responsible for all of the business’s debts. If you hope to mitigate your risk, you should form an LLC or incorporate in Virginia.

Share this:

It’s time to head on over to New England to the state that has the largest number of dairy cows (in ration of cows to people)! It’s no surprise that Vermont is so heavily cow-populated due to their small population size of fewer than nine thousand people. But many of those Vermonters are very successful entrepreneurs – especially when it comes to maple syrup! The biggest industry in The Green Mountain State is the selling and distributing of maple syrup. The state also boasts the prestige of being the original home to the headquarters for Ben and Jerry’s and IBM.

Vermont holds a lower rank on the Forbes best states for business list, with rankings in the twentysomething numbers for quality of life, economic climate, and labor supply. The state provides affordable healthcare, but suffers from high personal income taxes (9.5%) and corporate taxes (8.5%), according to CNNMoney.

Share this:

As one of the states that comprises the Four Corners (along with Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado), the advantages that come when one decides to incorporate in Utah are plentiful.

Nicknamed the Beehive State, Utah has been nationally ranked within the top three states in the country as the best states for business, according to Forbes. The state’s biggest industries include mining, cattle ranching, salt production, government services, and tourism, the latter of which notably rose after the end of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Major companies including Overstock.com, 1-800 Contacts, Ancestry.com are all headquartered within the state as well and Thumbtack.com gave Utah an A+ in the overall friendliness and ease of starting up a business that Utah provides.

Share this:

Oregon is one of the most ecologically diverse states in America, with rolling forests, wind-swept coasts, and beautiful mountains. This natural beauty is one of the main drivers of tourism, one of the state’s largest industries. Oregon is also home to growing businesses in the tech, forestry, and manufacturing industries, and, according to Forbes, the state is poised to see some serious growth. Today we’re answering the question of how to start a business in the Beaver State, and how to form an LLC or incorporate in Oregon.

What is needed to start a business in Oregon?

Oregon requires that all businesses within the state register with the Secretary of State’s Office. Now, if all you want to do is run a sole-proprietorship, you may only need to file for a DBA, or ‘Doing Business As’ name. This registration is meant to prevent fraud, and allows you to do business under a name other than your own. If you want to form a limited liability company or incorporate in Oregon, you’ll have to do a bit more paperwork.

Forming an LLC or incorporating both turn your business into its own, separate legal entity. That is good news for you because it means your company can effectively carry, and is responsible for, it’s own debts, so creditors cannot seize your personal assets to pay for the business’s debts. To form an LLC, you file your Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State and pay a $100 fee. This form will ask you for the business’s name, which must contain the words ‘Limited Liability Company,’ or the abbreviations ‘L.L.C.’ or ‘LLC.’ Along with your company’s name, you have to list its address, organizers, and the name and address of its registered agent.

If you’d like to incorporate in Oregon, you fill out your Articles of Incorporation, file them with the state, and pay a fee. Your corporation’s name has to include a designator like ‘incorporated’ or ‘corporation,’ and you will have to list the names and addresses of the incorporators, as well as the name and address of your registered agent. Corporations, however, are a bit more complicated to run, and you are required to name a board of directors, who will then help lead the business. You should also prepare corporate bylaws to guide the business’s development, and prepare minutes for any meeting at which a major business decision was made.

Does the state offer any support to small businesses in Oregon?

Yes! Oregon actually has a very handy online tool called Business Xpress meant to help out new small business owners. Using it, you can track down forms, find networking and training opportunities, and even start a business plan! The tool also has links to programs meant to support women and minority business owners in Oregon, so be sure to look around and see if there are any opportunities or grants you can use to boost your business.

Are you ready to start a business in Oregon? Have any questions about how to form an LLC or incorporate in Oregon? Give us a call at 1 (877) 692-6772 or leave a comment below!

Share this:

North Dakota is easily one of America’s most intriguing states. It was fairly unaffected by the Great Recession, and has one of the lowest unemployment rates of any state. North Dakota is also the only state with a state-run bank, the Bank of North Dakota , and a state-run flour mill, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, which is also the largest flour mill in the USA. Both of these institutions are carryovers of the Nonpartisan League, a populist political party that did so well in North Dakota that it gave the state a three-party system before eventually merging with the Democrats. North Dakota is also the reason we have a National Park system – its natural beauty inspired Theodore Roosevelt to champion conservation.

North Dakota’s excellent economy makes it a prime state to start a business. So just what do you have to do to start a company in the state? And how do you form a limited liability company or incorporate in North Dakota?

Share this:

Nevada was born from the discovery of a major silver mine, and its reputation as a state where you can make it rich, and quick, has been well-earned. Home to Las Vegas, Nevada is known for being a place to gamble, and tourism remains its number-one industry. Of course, there is so much more to the ‘Silver State’ than the Las Vegas Strip. Nevada is still home to some of the most active precious-metal mines, and is a major ranching state.

The State Seal of Nevada

Nevada also has a reputation as being a tax haven – the Tax Foundation ranked Nevada as having the third most-business friendly tax laws of all fifty states. Naturally, we receive plenty of questions on how to take advantage of that lax-tax law. If you are considering whether you should incorporate in Nevada, take the following into consideration:

A few forms are all you need to form a limited liability company or incorporate in Nevada. To help expedite the process, Nevada’s Secretary of State has set up ‘The Silver Flume‘ – an online business portal that allows entrepreneurs to register their business and set up a new business entity. The filing fee for corporations can fluctuate from the minimum of $75 depending on how many shares the corporation will be authorized to issue.